Keep Government Out Of Our TV

As a healthcare professional, I am constantly amazed by new and innovative treatments. But few medical miracles have saved more lives and affected more people than modern television drug commercials. So I was devastated to read that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is considering shortening the list of warnings required for direct-to-consumer advertising to include “only the most serious and potentially fatal side effects”. (1)

This is terrible news for anyone like me who depends on these commercials to explain why I am having dry mouth, constipation, sudden drops in blood pressure, hives, bulging eyeballs, oily discharge, memory loss, and erections lasting more than four hours. It is also terrible news for the American economy, also known as the cable T.V. industry, because these commercials are more entertaining than Comedy Central, and I can’t imagine anyone keeping their $15,000 per month subscription if this disastrous decision goes into effect.

The good news is that the FDA is not rushing into this decision. They are “asking consumers, doctors, and others to comment on which risk information is most helpful in TV and other broadcast ads”. The bad news is that already many doctors have weighed in approving of the proposed cuts. Dr. Minisha Sood, and endocrinologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, went so far as to say that “people do not retain the information presented as a lengthy laundry list of possible adverse reactions, which range from mild or moderate to severe”. Dr. Sood is missing the whole point. We are not supposed to retain the information. We are supposed to be rolling around on the floor laughing.

We The People must rise up and demand our rights if we don’t want to lose our main source of primetime entertainment. Call now and tell the FDA to keep their hands off our drug commercials!